Subutex / Suboxone Withdrawals (Page 2) (Top voted first)

Surely I'm not the only person reading in shock and disbelief. How is it that so many people are unaware of the basic facts and information regarding bup. I am reading in horror that woman are trying to detox during pregnancy. That is the worst option - it is risking both lives. I also read a question regarding the effectiveness of mixing bup with methadone. Anyone using these meds should know it causes withdrawals, that's the point of bup. I feel lucky to have drug treatment services that are free but able to stand along what is provided to private patients. It's horrible to think of pregnant woman on bup having to come on here to ask for info and not telling their dr in fear of judgement or welfare. What is up with a woman thinking its an option to detox at five mnths preg.? How doesn't she know she is risking both lives? Addicts have and always will be stigmatized society frown upon us, but i want to get ppl thinking and talking, why are woman making the choice to risk the health of their unborn baby rather than tell the dr they're on bup, all addicts who choose to engage in. and show consistent sustained compliance desrve a chance at rejoining society and pregnant woman deserve unbiased healthcare. I am still feeling sick from a post i read,a woman 8 mths preg asking what she can do she was already hanging out and cant get more bup for 12 days, a reply stated that the hosp prob won't give her any. I wanted to shout i was reading it days too late, how doesn't she know her baby is gravely ill?

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ADDICTIONISANILLNESS: And how! I had those precipitated W/Ds from doing subutex too soon and O MY HOLY HELL!!!

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HOUSE: You are one hundred percent WRONG. They aren't both "just opiates". Buprenorphine is a partial antagonist opioid. Which means, smart guy, that the Bupe will knock every single bit of any other opioids off of your receptors and throw you into HELL. I have experienced it myself personally, along with my research and the information on it that I have from two different addictions specialists. Oxys, Vicodin, etc, are agonist opioids, whereas Bupe is an ANTAGONIST opioid. Look it up. So you should maybe do some research before talking nonsense.

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SCOTT: You are so right. I am fortunate that I have been able to work with different doctors and addiction specialists (besides my own research) who do treat you like a human being with a problem. NOT a moral or legal one, but a medical, chemical problem. When it comes to opioid addiction, it quickly becomes a MEDICAL problem, and stops being about "bad choices" and "morals". Unfortunately I know that there are many out there who don't see it that way. But you, and I, and many others will keep fighting the good fight to help others and change misconceptions. Keep up the good work, Scott!

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I get tired of how everyone messes this up, not one person got all info correct. Even drug counsels and sub docs. So I'm setting it strait and it makes complete sense if u just follow the logic. But I'm almost positive that my understanding is correct bc it makes sense and u can research, just got to skim through the bull. I would research and research until it made sense. Ok first I always hear that suboxone will block other opiates and subutex won't but that's not true. Subutex does block ops. They say the naloxone is what blocks but that's not true, it's the buprenorphine itself that blocks ops cuz it sticks to receptors better then other ops high affinity. The naloxone is ineffective because as we all know with drugs there's different routes of administration. Now there's something they call bioavailability.. And just as it might sound it's your body's biological availability to each drug depending how it's used. Now to the point, naloxone is practilly 0% bio available sublingually. Only when it is taken intravenously will it 100% kick in but in doing so will block the be in the sub, so the only difference between suboxone and subutex is that the nalaxone is in it to deter you from taking it intravenously. Also u can take opiates on subutex and suboxone and the nalaxone will not throw u into precip withdrawal, it has nothing to do with that. Only when you take suboxone after taking opiates will precip. occur but that's from the bupe itself so the subutex will put you in precip. too cuz of bupes high affinity to bind to opiate receptors. Now if I am wrong please show me where your getting your info. I don't see why people always get it wrong when u can just google it. But don't just take the first answer for true dig.

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MICHAEL: One thing you have wrong is on the Naloxone being 0% bioavailable sublingually. It is more like about 12%. That's why they have both sublingual and nasal spray Naloxone for home use in overdose. And why Naloxone can and will make people sick if they are sensitive to it. If it were 0% bioavailable through sublingual or nasal, it wouldn't make people sick. I could only take Subutex because of Naloxone sensitivity. It exacerbated the migraine and nausea problems I already have.

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MJGirl: Every doctor I know would have her on SUBUTEX, not SUBOXONE, so..??? If it was me, I would get a "second opinion" on that one.

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STEFANIE: Subutex and Suboxone are basically the same drug, with the only difference being that Suboxone has a small bit of Naloxone in it, which is to keep people from administering it intravenously. Subutex has no Naloxone. They are both forms of the same drug, Buprenorphine, which is a partial agonist/partial antagonist opioid. You may see people referring to it as "Bupe" on this forum. An agonist opioid is the kind that gives pain relief, or can get you "euphoria". For example, Vicodin, Morphine, Percocet, Methadone, Oxys, etc...the drugs we use for pain, the drugs we are addicted to, these are all opioid AGONISTS. Naloxone is an opioid ANTAGONIST, meaning it BLOCKS the effects of the AGONIST opioids. So an opioid agonist like Naloxone is what the emergency room doctors would inj. in someone if they were overdosing on opiods.

Buprenorphine (the active ingredient in Subutex/Subutex) is a bit of BOTH the agonist and the antagonist. So the AGONIST part fills your brain's opioid receptors, keeps you from having withdrawal and gets you "well", while the ANTAGONIST part keeps you from being able to put other opioids in your brain without some serious consequences (like horrific withdrawal).

Since the SUBUTEX has no Naloxone in it, people can administer it intravenously. See, that Naloxone really isn't bioavailable (active in the body) when taken under the tongue, so it doesn't do anything to you when you take your Suboxone the way you are supposed to. BUT, when inj., the Naloxone is 100% bioavailable (active), and will fill your brain's receptors so none of the "good" opioids can get in, and that causes withdrawal. So since the SUBUTEX contains none of the Naloxone, and since it is a dissolveable pill, it can be administered intravenously. I would not recommend this however, as inj. pills can be a really bad idea. Besides the fact that it is meant to get you OUT of the addict behaviors. This is likely what your doctor was talking about when mentioning that Subutex is more likely to be abused or sold.

Any other questions, feel free to ask me on here. I am involved in medical research, plus I was on Subutex for years, and am currently on tablet Methadone. You are on a pretty low dose of Suboxone, which is great. (Even the 12 mgs wouldn't have touched me when I was on Bupe!) Don't go up any more if you don't have to!

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Hello, Manda! How are you? Thank you for your post, I'm sure it will help many that aren't informed about the Buprenorphine medications.

As to the Buprenorphine causing withdrawals, it is not actually it that does so. Suboxone contains both Buprenorphine and Naloxone, thus it is the latter that can cause severe withdrawals, when someone takes other opiates with it.

Learn more Suboxone details here.

And yes, many people are uninformed and many doctors as uninformed, or don't take the time to inform their patients….it is a really sad state of affairs.

Are there any other questions or concerns?

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I was on Methadone for 4 years, started @ 140mg and went down to 100mg. I thought I was never going get off and judging from the long-timers at my clinic (good people with clean UA's, working their program's) there seemed to be no hope. I recently moved to the Tampa Bay area from Portland OR.. On the trip down we ran out of methadone and super-suffered withdrawls for 3 days waiting to get into the local clinic. They offered that we could switch to Subutex since after 2 days the methadone is out of your body! We went for it and it was the the best thing I/ we've ever done. It's been 5 months and and I've gone from 18mg down to 4mg, my husband started the same & he's on 2mg, ready to be off by the end of the week! Florida sucks for public assistants, there is no help for people who are on subutex/one who can't afford it. I'm sooo close to being off of it but the $17/day 7 days /week is f***ing brutal, (like $600./ month!) Is it worth it for me to try and find a doctor w/ my medicaid i'm on? Will a script be the same price for aprox 1 month that i'm paying now

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is there any doctors who prescribe subutex ,and take insurance?i live in fall river mass. want to get off methadone,allergic to suboxone?

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Use a drug savings card to get your subutex cheaper. It brought my subutex from $270 down to $176. I can get it cheaper but you know what a hard time it is to get it the pharmacies now I hope that helps I pray for you all and hope you're staying clean I do think it's a shame that in the state of Florida and others that there is absolutely no help they just want to lock you up and throw away the key good luck to everybody one last note that is on the subutex not the suboxone

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if you take an opiate if you took the subutex FIRST, you will not get sick. you may not feel the opiate, but ya, you wont get sick. if you take subutex TOO SOON AFTER TAKING AN OPIATE, you absolutely will get sick. i know it for a fact. the bupe can make you sick without the naloxone. i was on subutex for years and i know it for a fact. see my other post. its if you do it AFTER the H or oxy or whatev. u HAVE to wait for that opiate to get out of you. now depending on the quality of the H, that can be 3 hours to 12 hours.

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im sorry but you are just wrong.

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Oh yes you will - especially if you have been taking morphine - wait at least 4 hrs with the others however - wait two weeks with morphine - sub and morphine do not mix and if you take subutex too soon you wlll wish to die.

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SUBOXONE? HELP still looking for phy. to prescribe subutex in fall river,mass. area is there any doctors out there? allergic to suboxone,it is documented please need help? willing to pay some,have mass. health and medicare?

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It is true - wait wait wait before taking Sub of anykind after taking any opiate - just saying - some narcotics are out of one's system much faster than others - always best to err on the side of caution however with anything - again - Morphine, Fentanyl, methadone for sure you have to really wait while others do not take such a long time - just be safe and be careful

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With all these opiate overdoses there is no doctors in fall river, mass. that prescribes subutex? They want everybody to go to the DONE. I WANT TO GO ON THE SUBUTEX; ALLERGIC TO SUBOXONE.

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SAME AS ,SUBOXONE AND SUBUTEX ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DOCTORS WILL ONLY GIVE SUBOXONE NOT SUBUTEX,WHAT DOCT. ARE YOU SEEING?

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@jeet subutex is the brand name for buprenorphine. suboxone is the brand name for buprenorphine with naloxone added. the "active" ingredient in both is the buprenorphine. why do you think they are "completely different"? please try to come to the conversation with an intelligent addition next time.

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You are 1000% correct I also speak from experience.

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